"Mother!" Bronya rushed forward without hesitation, catching the exhausted, unconscious Cocolia in her arms.
"Ah, another classic, heart-wrenching family moment."
March 7th whispered to Stelle. As a member of the [Trailblaze], the Express had journeyed through countless worlds, witnessing too many partings of life and death.
"Anything else you want to say to her? This might be the last time you see her." Freesna, ever considerate, spoke up.
Bronya had a thousand words in her heart, but they condensed into a single sentence: "Thank you for raising me to adulthood." As the future Great Guardian, that was all she could say.
"It's over…"
"Mother… Have you ever… woken from your dream?" Bronya gazed at the comatose Cocolia, her expression heavy with sorrow.
Adrian surveyed everyone's condition. At least… Cocolia hadn't turned into a sky full of stars like in the original script.
Death couldn't absolve the suffering she'd inflicted on the lower district's people.
"Wow, this [Trailblaze] journey… tough but rewarding." March 7th sighed, then realized the critical issue. "Uh, what about the [Stellaron Core]? Uncle Yang usually handles those…"
"Teacher Adrian, can you suppress the Stellaron Core with a single forehead flick this time?"
Adrian smacked his lips. "Of course I can. But… looks like someone's eager to try." All eyes turned to Stelle.
"In that fight, the hourglass blessed by the [Eternity] Aeon didn't do anything." Stelle approached the now-dull Stellaron Core. The beguiling whispers in her mind were gone.
She removed the hourglass necklace from her chest. Though she hadn't figured out its exact use, she sensed… this hourglass pendant was far from ordinary.
The moment it touched the Stellaron Core, the hourglass erupted in blinding white light. Before anyone could react, the Stellaron Core vanished from sight.
"Huh? What happened?" March 7th blinked, bewildered.
"Look at the hourglass." Adrian prompted.
Whoosh!
All eyes focused on the hourglass, its upper half now glowing with the same golden light as the Stellaron Core.
"It's like… it absorbed the Stellaron Core."
"Wait, what?!" Stelle jumped, nearly tossing the hourglass necklace.
"You mean I have to carry this thing on my travels now?" The Stellaron Core, dubbed the [Cancer of All Worlds], was something anyone would shy away from.
"That's a bit hypocritical. Don't you have a Stellaron Core in you already?"
"That's different!" Stelle protested. "Carrying this thing around every day, sleeping with it—what if it blows up one day?"
Adrian patted her shoulder, assuring her, "[Eternity]'s brand, trustworthy. No need to worry about small issues like that."
After some banter, the group returned to the matter at hand.
"Woohoo! So, the crisis on this world is resolved, right?"
Dan Heng stayed silent. "…The blizzard rages, hard to halt abruptly."
"With the Stellaron Core sealed, the Eternal Freeze will gradually recede. The Void on this world won't expand aggressively anymore, but it won't vanish either. Jarilo-VI has a chance at rebirth, but it'll take time…"
"That depends on their own efforts."
"Ugh~ Fate's cruel. I really want to see Jarilo-VI's spring… even for a moment…" March 7th sighed.
As she spoke, a cold breeze brushed her cheek, and a voice sounded behind her.
"Greetings, everyone. Does this young lady believe… that a moment of eternity is also [Eternity]?"
"Whoa! When did you get here?"
Seeing that radiant golden hair, Dan Heng's face darkened.
The moment he saw this man, his mind involuntarily conjured the image of that smooth, pristine bar of soap.
Dan Heng was certain—this was mental pollution. He'd truly grasped the terror of the Church of Eternity.
"Oh~ The air's thick with the scent of [Eternity]~" Blake took a deep breath, reveling in his obsession with Eternity.
"Tch… Gross." Freesna retreated behind Adrian. This guy was especially absurd today; she closed her eyes, unable to see the Church's future.
"Weren't you at the restricted zone?" Himeko asked, puzzled.
"Get used to it. Anything tied to [Eternity] comes with instant teleportation." March 7th explained.
"Really? Why don't I have it?"
Stelle clenched her fists, trying to unlock teleportation.
"Hm?" Overwhelmed by Adrian's dense [Eternity] aura, Blake had overlooked Stelle's. Now, he focused on her.
He hadn't noticed before, but now he was shocked.
This gray-haired girl's composition was wildly complex!
First, there was Blake's beloved Eternity and Trailblaze, plus newly awakened Preservation, and a faint trace of Elation…
Hiss… And the nauseating stench of [Destruction]?
Blake's face fell. He'd considered recruiting her to the Church, but now…
Wait, two [Cancers of All Worlds]?!
Blake's expression darkened further. Setting aside her rare multi-Path nature, any connection to [Destruction] was a dealbreaker.
Blacklist, definitely blacklist!
No, wait! The hourglass necklace around her neck shared the same origin as his soap—granted by Adrian!
Didn't that mean…?
This gray-haired girl… had the potential to be a [Church Head]?!
Instantly, Blake's clouded eyes cleared.
With Adrian likely watching, Blake's mind shifted!
This talent… was exactly what the Church needed!
"Hm. Join the Church!" Blake extended his hand to Stelle, planning to let her succeed him as Head after retirement.
"Uh… huh?" Stelle was thrown off by the sudden offer but reacted quickly, grasping Blake's hand, ready to give her acceptance speech.
"Maybe only [Eternity] Emanators get teleportation." March 7th was still fixated on the issue.
Seeing Blake like this, though unaware she was similar, Freesna wanted to disown him.
"So… why are you here?" Himeko, who'd met Blake a few times, asked.
"Simple. I heard this young lady's prayer." Blake looked earnestly at March 7th.
"Huh?"
"As I said: a moment of eternity is Eternity." Blake bowed politely to the group.
"Can't let that chuuni elf steal all the spotlight~" He flicked his hair. If he didn't act, he'd be a freeloader.
His gaze shifted to the unconscious Cocolia. "A poor soul brainwashed by the [Cancer of All Worlds]. Looks like… you've decided her fate?"
Freesna nodded. "Hm." Without hesitation, she declared Cocolia's fate in front of Bronya:
"She will fully experience… the pain of those who died because of her, at the moment of their passing."